Students read a New York Times article to examine strong first person voice in essays about reading. They write their own first person essays about some aspect of reading, participate in peer review, and re-writing.

Students explore, analyze and study novel reflections on the American dream that the United States has held the promise of unlimited possibilities. They describe the concept of the American dream, listen to and record real stories of...

Students improve their' writing by incorporating photography into descriptive and narrative writing exercises. They write descriptions of various professional photographic collections. Later they use their own and other classmates'.

Students chose a favorite passage from a Shakespeare play. They write a letter from one character to another in a novel they have just read. They take a scene from a movie and write it in Shakespearean language.

Students read various examples of poetry and create a poetry portfolio. For this poetry writing lesson, students work at their own pace to complete a poetry portfolio with examples of the different poetic forms demonstrated. ...

Learners analyze Macbeth through the lens of a pop song. In this Macbeth lesson, students read Act I, Scene 7 of Macbeth and determine Lady Macbeth's viewpoint. Learners read the lyrics to Alanis Morrissette's song 'Wake Up' and work in...

Eleventh graders study Malcolm X and black power. In this African American lesson, 11th graders write a journal entry about black power and create a timeline of the events during the civil right movement.

Students explore acts of kindness through the eyes of the black community. In this philanthropy lesson, students understand that even under inhumane circumstances, people can perform for the common good. Students relate to their good...

Students, after using the "Intermediate" selection of the Tense Buster software, recognize and practice using passive voice in their writing. As a result of this task, they correctly use five new vocabulary terms with passive voice in...

Students explore first person and third person points of view. For this perspective lesson, students identify first person and third person points of view in literature they have read. Students rewrite stories from different perspectives.

In this writing voice activity, students complete three activities that help them understand and use the correct writing voice in formal papers.

Students explore World History by researching the Holocaust. For this Nazi Germany lesson, students identify the ghettos and death camps that many Jewish civilians were sent to in order to be controlled and later killed. Students...

Class members conclude their reading of The House on Mango Street with an assignment that asks them to compose letters to characters using their own voices or that of another character in Cisneros' story.

Women's voices are becoming more prominent in the world of literature, but for centuries, this wasn't the case. Young historians research a woman whose writings are considered to be lost, out of print, or forgotten. They develop an oral...

Study high frequency words and illustrate them with young scholars. They will use charts to practice the words. They will also do a picture walk with the book they are reading and use the high frequency words in sentences. In the end,...

What skills do storytellers employ to bring to life the characters and events in their tales? After listening to a recording of a Haitian folk tale, class members consider how tone of voice, pace, and gestures can be used to enliven a...

Partners practice reading fluency by reciting sentence strips to each other with proper expression and intonation. Partner A chooses a strip at random and reads it silently, then aloud with expression. Partner B reads the same sentence...

Two lessons explore the possibility of living on the moon. First, scholars read various scenarios to identify which careers would best transfer to life in space. Finally, pupils examine a website to locate items made for outer space,...

For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...

Sometimes the interview process includes negotiating for what you want. Here's an activity that guides job seekers to achieve The Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). Participants take on the role of job seekers and...

Scholars show what they know about data collection and analysis with an activity that examines a smaller population of Houghton, Texas. Independently or in pairs, learners identify their research question, gather, graph, and analyze...

If you're reading Eve Bunting's A Turkey for Thanksgiving, take a look at these activities to follow the story. Kids complete a crossword puzzle, word search, event sequence activity, and multiple choice reading quiz before...

Think before you post! Employers are watching! That's the takeaway from an activity that asks learners to rate their social media posts using a scale developed by recruiters. The activity ends with scholars brainstorming ways to improve...

What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of...